The Hepworth Wakefield Garden
The Hepworth Wakefield Garden is open daily and free to enjoy.
The Hepworth Wakefield Garden
The Hepworth Wakefield Garden, designed by internationally acclaimed landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, is free for all to enjoy.
Tom Stuart-Smith’s design draws inspiration from its unusual setting between 19th-century red-brick mills and a 21st-century art gallery, edged by the River Calder. It echos the striking, angular shapes of the David Chipperfield-designed gallery while harnessing a naturalism that reflects Barbara Hepworth’s deep connection to the landscape.
As well as Stuart-Smith’s distinctive planting, there are outdoor sculptures by Sir Michael Craig-Martin, Barbara Hepworth and Kim Lim.
Find out about the story of The Hepworth Wakefield Garden here.
Sculpture in the garden
Ascending Form (Gloria), 1958
Barbara Hepworth
Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Donated by Eric and Jean Cass through the Contemporary Art Society 2010
The two diamond shapes in Ascending Form (Gloria) can be seen as representing natural forms, with the one growing organically out of the other, or as a reference to hands coming together in prayer.
One of her most frequently recurring subjects was the standing form, which she related to the feeling of a human figure in the landscape.
Pitchfork (Yellow), 2013
Sir Michael Craig-Martin
Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian
This 4m yellow pitchfork stands tall amongst the trees in the garden. It is taken from a series of giant and brightly coloured painted steel sculptures that resemble commonplace objects.
Appearing like drawings in the air, Craig-Martin’s deceptively simple sculptures pose questions about the role that objects play in our everyday lives.
Hear Michael Craig-Martin describe his sculpture in this short film.
Day, 1966
Kim Lim (1936–1997)
Acquired with the support of the Contemporary Art Society, 1983
This work, Day, which is made from painted steel, was conceived as an outdoor sculpture. The tall arch not only acts as a sun dial casting shadows to gauge the time of day and year, but its elongated form and curved crest echo the elliptical orbit of the earth around the sun.
The acquisition of Day into Wakefield collection in 1983 was prompted by Lim’s close alignment with the sculptural ethos of Barbara Hepworth, as both artists shared a mutual concern for the relationship between abstraction and the landscape.
Fan Construction, 2023
Halima Cassell
Cassell’s distinctive style integrates bold forms with an infinite variety of deeply carved, complex patterns. Combining strong geometric elements with architectural principles, Cassell’s work incorporates recurrent patterns inspired by the geometry and symmetry found in nature, her surroundings and from her own heritage. Born in Pakistan and raised in Lancashire, Cassells varied, multi-cultural background and interest in Islamic art, design and architecture is tangibly present in her work.
Cassell is known for her work in ceramics, and several of her ceramic sculptures are held in Wakefield’s art collection, including Fan 2005, a relief carved in unglazed clay which relates to the patterns reprised in Fan Construction. For this work, Halima has combined pigments to create a warm red hue, which responds to the red brick of Rutland Mills while providing a counterpoint to the concrete of The Hepworth Wakefield.
Dimensions: Cold Cast Iron, 21 foot (h) x 51cm (d)
Our changing display of sculptures in The Hepworth Wakefield Garden has been generously supported by:
In bloom, September
Origanum laevigatum ‘Herrenhausen’
This long flowering, richly purple perennial is an ornamental variety of the culinary herb oregano. The leaves don’t have the same herbal aroma as Oregano vulgare which we cook with, however this variety is very popular with pollinators. Rough wiry stems emerge in spring from a matt of glossy green leaves and clusters of papery-pink flowers open from dark purple calyces. The species Origanum laevigatum originates from rocky areas in Turkey, Syria and Cyprus and so this plant likes a sunny spot with free draining soil and is well suited to planting at the front of a border.
Eurybia x herveyii synonym Aster macrophyllus ‘Twilight’.
Covered in silvery, lilac flowers with yellow centres, this Michaelmas-daisy blooms from late-August onwards. Along with many plants in the Asteraceae family this perennial has recently had a name change and whereas it used to be called Aster macrophyllus ‘Twilight’, its new name is Eurybia x herveyii. An excellent perennial for late summer colour this aster does not suffer with the mildew which troubles some asters and it fills an area quickly. As winter comes the flowering stems will dry into dainty silver stars.
Miscanthus ‘Ferner Osten’
A vigorous perennial grass with tall narrow leaves and soft golden-pink plumes in autumn. Miscanthus quickly forms a big clump and provides beautiful structure long into the winter. As a tough-stemmed, deciduous grass with a dense crown, we cut it back to the base with a hedge trimmer in early March just before the new green shoots appear.
Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’
September sunshine sparkles through the fluffy flowers of this fountain grass. Pennisetum prefers a sunny spot with well-drained soil. As a deciduous perennial grass the old foliage can be cut back in February or March each year before the plant sends up its new green shoots.
Diary of a Cultural Gardener
Between May 2019 and May 2021, Katy documented her work in a monthly diary to offer a little glimpse into life in The Hepworth Wakefield Garden.
View all of Katy’s diary entries here.
Help Katy care for The Hepworth Wakefield Garden
We have transformed a strip of unused land into a beautiful flower-filled garden, free for all to enjoy. As a living composition, the Garden requires daily care and attention to ensure it remains an urban oasis for everyone.
If you are able, please support this work. Any donation, no matter the size, makes a real difference. Please donate here.
